Two Hearts, One Love
by ReserectionBANKAI
Summary: Orihime, unafraid of her captor, decides instead to spare his life after the battle at Las Noches. Ulquiorra finds himself indebted to her after she revives him, and declares her his new master, and possibly something more... R&R, Plz.
1. Chapter 1

Two Hearts, One Love

_~Love and fear come from the same place: The Heart. It only makes sense, that to conquer both, you must first master the heart. Two souls will only find happiness when their hearts beat as one, for to master the heart, you must first find another.~_

Chapter 1

"Are you afraid of me?" his voice almost quivered, as if he didn't really want the answer. He knew the answer.

Silence. She did not reply to him, instead giving him a look that confirmed his own hidden fears. She was afraid of him. God, what had he done?

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked again, this time more sure of himself. He atleast wanted to disappear into the sandy nothingness with an answer to his question. His body was failing hard, he knew that any minute now, he would become one with the nothingness and the happiness he desired.

"...No." She shook her head, her expression indicating once more a different answer. "No, I'm not afraid."

"I see." He was silent looked into her eyes for what felt like forever. It was a blissful eternity. Happiness.

He watched as she reached a delicate hand toward him, and in that instant, he knew that happiness lay not within nothingness, but within the heart. Within the love felt for friends and all the world. He could feel the pure love and light extending from her soul, warming for the first time something within him. He couldn't quite place it at first, but he felt compelled at that point to reach for her in return. Before their fingertips could touch, his own began to disappear into the gentle winds of the white desert surrounding them.

"The heart..." He realized, this must be it. What he felt for her, he felt from his heart. But it was too late. He stared into her eyes one last time, looking as if he were about to shed a tear, and in an instant he was gone. One with the wite sands of Heuco Mundo.

"No!" She grabbed desperately at the dust he had become, gathering within her palm a few grains. She fell to her knees, sobbing.

"No... Why? Why does it have to be this way?"

"He's gone, Orihime." Ichigo assured her. "You never have to look at him again. He can't scare you anymore."

"I'm not afraid!" She wailed, and her hairpins glowed with holy light.

The sand reformed into a very confused looking arrancar. He didn't understand why she would want to bring him back.

"Ulquoira! Please, don't go..." She was so caught up in her crying she didn't even notice him there. He didn't know what to say.

"..." He glanced at the ground briefly, feeling awkward about the whole thing. "Inoue..."

She looked up, surprised and stunned. "Ulquoirra? Ulquoirra! You're alive!"

"Yes..." He looked around himself, and shrugged his shoulders a bit. "So it seems. Thanks to you..." He paused and gave her a look of perplexion, unable to discern her intentions. "Why would you heal me? You undersantd that I desire nothing more than to follow Aizen's orders... I must kill your friends now." He shifted his gaze to them and back. "All of them."

"No... Ulquiora, you're my frieind now too... Why can't we all just be friends and live in piece. You don't have to do what he says anymore..."

"She's right." Ichigo put his sword in its sheath. "You know, technically, you should listen to what SHE says, she's the one that saved your hiney."

"..." Ulquoirra was speechless. They were right. He now belonged to her and only her. That feeling swept over him again. The one he felt right before he died.

"What do you say? Will you join us?" Ichigo gave him a wink, and grin always ready to except new friendships.

"Join us!" Ishida came towards them, fully healed from his wounds thanks to a quincy potion. "It's the least you can do after all you've done you know."

"I..." The arrancar looked to them with distrust, but back to Orihime with softness, if only slightly. "I will do as you say then, as you are my new creater."

"Oh, thnak you! Thank you Ulquiora. I won't be bossy, I just want for you to be a good friend to everyone."

"I'll... I'll try..." He was unsure of what it really meant to be someone's friend, but he was going to try. His new master ordered it so.

Later that day, the four of them travelled to Karakura town for a break. Ichigo and Ishida Uryu were really tired from that long, hard battle with their former nemesis, and as a result, they want to bed early. This of course, left only Orihime and Ulquoira. He felt a little awkward being alone with her, as he couldn't shake that warm, anxious feeling that he felt for her. Strange, why was it about her? Why had he not felt the same for his previous master?

"Is there anything that you would like me to do?" He asked, eager to except any task she may present him with.

"You need to rest, you just came back to life. Take it easy." She smiled warmly at him.

He wouldn't except this as an answer. There must be something she wanted. "Anything at all. I don't need to rest. I need to serve you."

"Anything huh?"

He nodded, eyes widening very slightly at the idea that she might present him with a task.

"Well... To be honest, sleeping on that chesterfield in Hueco mundo... It was comfy the first few nights, but... I'm so sore... Could you give me a backrub?"

Not what he was expecting. He swallowed, inadvertently making it clear to her that he was uncomfortible. "I... I can do that."

She grinned and stretched herself out on the couch they were sharing, as he reflexively moved aside for her. She tossed her hair from her shoulders, exposing the nape of her neck and making him swallow hard again. His face felt hot, but it refused to flush as any humans would.

He felt like he should not touch her, like that was above him. He was unfamiliar with such a request, and he hesitated to place his hands on her back. To touch her felt indecent. But orders were orders, right?

"...Like this?" He placed his hands symmetrical on her shoulders blades and gently rubbed, barely placing any pressure.

"No, no. A little more pressure."

He pushed a little harder. "...Like this?"

"..." She waited a moment to get a feel for it, but it wasn't working for her. "No, you need to put pressure on it. Harder..."

"Sorry..."

"It's okay, just make sure you really giv'er." She rested her head on the couch again.

He swallowed again, annoying himself a bit. He wasn't used to this feeling. Was he nervous? He pushed hard this time, forgetting that he was superhumanly strong and there was quite a crack, and a small, pained cry from his master. He immediately let go. "...Not like that..."

"No... Too hard." She winced, but remained unharmed for the most part. She sat up and stretched, her insides giving a crack and indicating they were back in place. She looks at him a little puzzled, but then had an idea. "I'll show you how, Ulqiuorra."

If he could have gone red, he would have. Instead, he said nothing.

"Lay down." She gently nudged at his shoulders to entice him into laying for her.

He looked around a bit, and then lay down like she asked. He was feeling more like a pet and less like an Espada. "Like this?"

"I don't need to tell you how to lay down do I?" She giggled.

"No... I am unfamiliar with these human activities. I do not lay down often and as such, am unsure which way I should lay."

"You're doing great." She teased. She brushed aside a few stray locks of raven hair and applied firm but gentle pressure to his neck and shoulders. Immediately, she felt his tension release, and he turned into a pile of mush beneath her. "Just like silly putty! Hehe."

Ulquoirra said nothing, but gave a soft grown as she worked the centuries of nots out of his back. Unbeknownst to him, but amusing to her, he began to nuzzle at the sofa fabric, clearly enjoying himself for the first time in a very long time. If her ears didn't deceive her, he was actually starting to purr!

She moved her hands downward, needing and stroking firmly at the area beneath his shoulders blades and beside his spine. There was a little bit of cracking, but he seemed to like that, and so she did not stall. She worked downwards and rubbed at his lower back, then slowly and thoroughly working her way back up to rub his shoulders and neck again. He was still purring, and she wasn't sure he was even paying attention to her technique. She giggled, happy that at least he was getting something nice for once, he had probably never had a back rub before. She finished, patting his back softly, "My turn."

"Mmmmnnn..." He growned and looked at her with an expressioned she had never seen on his face before. His pupils were huge, and he seemed a little spaced out for lack of a better word. "Orihime... Mnn... Yes, at once." He got up slowly, giving a little stretch as she lay herself down for him to have another go at it. "I think I get how it works now."

He placed his hands on her shoulders and began working his thumbs into her muscles.

"Ohh! Not so mechanical! A little more smooth. Formless, like water! Hehe... Aim for those little nots and things."

"I see..." He ceased the consistant motion and began focusing on the areas of tension. It took a moment for him to get it down pat, but he learned quickly. She was expressing the same bliss as he had been in no time. "Like this?"

"Yes... Just like that... Ohhh..." She growned, her back feeling much less tense already.

He continued needing and rubbing just as she had to him, relying on her soft growns to indicate weather her technique was a hit or miss. She let out a sound of extreme relief when he reached her lower back. "That's not surprising, you have a lot to carry around up top..."

"Ulquoira!" She was a little surprised by his remark, though she had to admit it was probably the most polite remark about her chest ever.

"I'm sorry. Just an observation." Once again, if he could functionally blush he would have. For once, his logical nature was not doing him any favours. Still, she seemed to enjoy the relief he provided, so he continued on that spot for a while before moving upwards slowly, much as she had.

She sat up, also giving a stretch. While she was in bliss from her massage, Ulquoirra totally took advantage of that view. Unfortunately she turned to look his way and since he had awkwardly placed himself to get that view, he was busted. "Ulquiorra, what's gotten into you? You're worse than that lesbian I go to school with."

"I never laid a hand on them..." He turned just a little bit pink, only because if he could truly flush he would be rainbow by now. "I will never lay a hand on you unless ordered to."

" You're funny. Don't go gettin' any ideas, Ulqui-kun."

"...What? What is that?"

"What is what, Ulqui-kun." She looked puzzled.

"That... No, please don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"It's... embarrassing..."

"Embarrasing? Ulquoirra, I didn't realise you could feel embarassment! That's so cute in a way. Ulqui-kun, Ulqui-kun!" She laughed.

He looked at the floor, still pink, but expressing annoyance with his eyebrows alone. "I don't appreciate that. I must request you stop calling me that."

"BatBat McBattyFlapper!" She was acting a little manic at the moment.

"Wh...What the hell is that?" He was visibly stressed at this point by the name calling. "I find it really emasculating that my master is referring to me with zero respect."

"I'm sorry, Ulquoirra. Here... I'll give you a kiss to make it better." She giggled some more, then gave him a quick, sweet peck on the cheek. Pink again!

"..." He remained silent for a second, "Inoue..." He felt that feeling was over him again. Tingling throughout his body, lightheaded bliss, his heart pounding in his chest, and an erratic feeling in the pit of his stomach not unlike the fluttering of a soul reappears hell butterflys. Was it his heart? Could he be... no... He was incapable of such feelings... But when he looked into her eyes once more, he was sure. "Inoue... Orihime Inoue."

"Ulquoirra? What is it?"

"I... The only time I can feel it... The only time I have ever felt...this... this heart... is with you." His voice was quivering and he was struggling to make eye contact, whereas before every encounter with him had been a determined stair-down.

"I'm glad, Ulqui-ku- Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean that... I mean no disrespect to y-"

He took her hand, his pale finger entwining with her own, making her look almost tan by comparison. His grip was firm, from the heart she knew it. He forced himself to look her in the eyes, and in a soft voice unlike any she'd heard from him before, he whispered. "I... love you... Orihime..." He quivered quite a bit the first time so he said it again, this time more sure than ever. "I love you."

She was speechless for a change. Her expression, she realized, must has reflected her shock and she quickly softened, seeing that fear of rejection in his eyes. "Ulquiorra..."

"It's okay... If you do not feel the same. But I need you to know how I feel." He couldn't keep her gaze, forcing his own downward out of shame.

"No... Ulquiorra... I... It will take time." Orihime was very taken back by his sudden confession. "I can grow to love you as well. It just takes time." She smiled. "But we have all the time in the world, now that we are friends. Let's spend some time together, and we'll see how it all goes. Don't feel like I have said no to you. I just need some time to say yes."

He couldn't meet her gaze, feeling nothing but shame washing over him. He looked at her briefly, sadly; and then he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I understand..." He barely whispered, letting go.

Orihime yawned, changing the subject quickly. "Wow, I'm so tired... You must be too. You should sleep in my bed to make sure you get enough rest, I'll sleep on the couch."

"No... You've slept on a chesterfield long enough. You deserve to sleep in your bed. This in itself is better than anything I've ever slept on..." He looked into her eyes again, having regained his composure. She could still see that glimmer of hurt in those emerald eyes though. "Good night, Inoue. Sleep well tonight."

"Ulquoirra... Please don't be sad." She was starting to feel very badly, but it was all so sudden. Just then, her face lit up- she had an idea. "I know! You and I can have our first date this weekend. I've got to go to school since I haven't been there in like a year, but if I study hard and do all my homework, no doubt Ill have time for that this weekend. Is that okay? Will you go out with me Saturday?"

"Really?" His face lit up just a little, then he looked a little nervous again. "I mean... Shouldn't I be asking that? Orihime, will you go out with me on Saturday?"

She smiled brightly at him. "I will. I will Ulquoirra. It's a date!" Orihime giggled, and with that, she skipped off to her bedroom for the night.

Feeling a little better about how things stood, Ulquiorra stretched out on the sofa. He spent a long time that night staring at the sealing, his heart just short of racing. "Orihime... It can't be undone... I will always love you. Even if you never feel the same..." He didn't know what to feel. Eventually, he grew tired, exhausted even from his own feelings. Just shortly after, he drifted into sleep, dreaming not of nothingness, but of everything love could bring.

Unbeknownst to ether of them, they had been eaves troughed on by Uryu, who was already in the empty bathtub, door locked, lights on very dim. He had pulled the shower curtain so that only a crack of light, just enough for him to see his notebook, was beaming through. Just like Inoue has been the only and one true love and light in his life! He had been love shy, and still hadn't made a move, and now a HOLLOW was moving in on his one... true... love. She had no idea weather this hollow would turn on her as they had previously experienced a tumultuous relationship earlier at Hueco Mundo. He might well kill her if he was ordered to do so by Aizen. He defiantly couldn't be trusted.

Whatever it took, Uryu would protect the love of his life, even if she didn't feel the same for him. He sketched up a few blueprints and plans so as to eliminate the hollow. He could not be discovered, however, as Inoue would never forgive him. But it is his duty to eliminate hollows.

He opened the shower curtain, his spectacles glinting in the dim light. He had to do this, he had to ensure his Inoue was safe. At all cost.

Disclaimer: I am not in any way shape or form affiliated with Bleach, nor do I own any rights to anything related to the franchise.

A/N: Well, that's it for now! Hope you enjoyed my story. I worked really hard on it. If you couldn't already tell, this is AU, a kind of 'what-if' about what would've happened had she healed Ulquoirra. His name is so hard to spell! I kind of resent Aizen for giving him such a ridiculous name, it's a pain in my arsebum! And isn't Uryu acting strange? Hmmm, I think he might be part of an upcoming triangle. ;) Review, and let me know what things would make you happy in the next chapter. I am very open to ideas and criticism. Oh, and sorry for my bad spelling, my first language is English, but I have spent half of my time learning Francais so neither is perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

Two Hearts, One Love

_~Love is a curious thing. Sometimes, it makes us feel as though there is nothing else in the world we would rather have. Still, there are times when love can, indeed, make us afraid. Ask yourself why one would ever be afraid of love. It may seem at first a strange inquiry, but if it does, indeed, you have never yet experienced love that is also unrequited.~_

Chapter 2

Friday had rolled around pretty quickly, and as the week had gone on, Ulquiorra felt progressively more nervous. As if there were an entire conservatory of hell butterflies in his stomach. He had been staying with Orihime in her apartment so far, sleeping each night on the chesterfield not unlike the way she had spent her time in Hueco Mundo.

Realising the discomfort and stress he had probably caused her all that time, he became aware of why she might be apprehensive of him. After all, it was he who had effectively destroyed her relationship with Soul Society. It was he who had taken her away from her friends and forced her to live in a cell for a year. He had kept her prisoner, and saw to it that her stay was most unpleasant, even telling her he refused to pamper her when all she wanted was reassurance that her friends would be okay. Was that so much for him to give to her? He could have stood back and allowed other arrancar to do what he attempted to do to her best friends... Hell, he could have even turned heel on his former master and allowed himself, for once in his afterlife, to do what he wanted to do.

"What I want..." He murmured aloud to himself.

What did he want? Was it simply to love this human girl? Was there a deeper reason to any of this? What is love? Is it an instinctual drive like any other feeling he felt? Or was it really something that came from this... this heart?

He stroked at the center of his chest, unconsciously searching for it. Physically, his heart was there. It was an organ. But that wasn't the heart he had been curious about. This heart was something so much more. Where could he find a heart more important that the life-giving heart within him?

Then it hit him. Well, it hit him again. His heart lay not within himself, but within those he loved. His eyes shut and he took a deep, slow breath, exhaling with a tremendous yet gentle sigh. His heart was within Orihime. He had handed it to her before his demise in Hueco Mundo. Knowing this, nothing else mattered to him, accept her. His only purpose was to ensure that she was happy. To make her happy any way he could. Feeling empowered by this new purpose, he rose from the couch and sauntered slowly over to the large window looking out over Karakura Town. How was he going to show her just how he really felt tomorrow?

Orihime stood from her desk and stretched. It had seemed like a longer day than usual at school, possibly because she had a years worth of catching up to do! The teacher had already suggested that she begin staying after school, and although she had spent a few nights that week already doing so, today, she really wasn't up for it. She casually, without any form of rush, began packing her things into her binder. Maybe she would get home and go for a nap?

Tatsuki approached her, curious as to where she was headed. "Orihime, aren't you supposed to stay after school tonight?"

"Yes, but... I'm so tired, Tatsuki. I just want to go home and rest up this weekend. I've done lots this week already, and I'll make sure to cram for Monday on Sunday night. Tonight, I have to take it easy."

"That's not like you, you're usually so academic..." Her friend gave her a suspicious gaze.

Orihime giggled, lowering her voice to a whisper and leaning into Tatsuki's ear. "Don't tell anyone. I've got to rest up tonight, because I've got a date tomorrow!"

"A date?" She hollered, then clamped her hands over her mouth briefly, before announcing at audible volume, "Yeah... I heard that they are setting a new date for the grand opening of that new arcade!"

The two of them looked around at the remaining pupils in the room, garnering strange glances before they hurried along to the hallway.

"A new arcade?" Piped up one of the nerdy boys. "I had no idea that they were opening another one! We already have three downtown..."

"It's no arcade, that's opening..." a low, bitter voice mumbled.

"What's that, Ishida?" Nerd-boy inquired.

"Inoue Orihime... has a boyfriend." His glasses flickered.

Every boy in the class that was still seated fell out of their chairs, every boy that was standing, also hit the floor. Girls began to whisper. Who could it be?

"A boyfriend? Are you sure? I asked her out once, and she said she was saving that sort of thing for when she finished school..."

"Well, she changed her mind. She has been seduced by a demon of a man. One of the bad boys if you will." Uryu slid his glasses up his nose as they had fallen.

"Man, girls like that never go for the nice guys. I guess, as they say, opposites attract. I hope he treats her right." One of Orihime's gal pals chirped, interrupting them to score some potential gossip.

"Given his history, and the way he has treated her in the past, I very much doubt that. This is the kind of guy that could never feel love. He could never give her what she needs." Ishida, had his eyes closed and his arms crossed tightly.

"It seems like you're a little jealous..." Nerd-boy quipped.

"No! I!" Red as a beet, Ishida stammered to make an excuse. "I... I just don't want to see a friend of mine get hurt by the wrong guy! She's such a nice girl, and this guy has no redeeming qualities."

Orihime's friend leaned in a little closer, "You should find out more about this 'date' and maybe we can crash it. Erm... I mean... You know, stay to the sidelines, and make sure everything goes right."

"You're right!" Uryu Ishida stood, the movement forcing him to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose again. "The three of us will work as a team, and we'll make sure their date goes just the way it should... Terribly! If we pull together, they'll never end up as a couple!"

"Wow... Don't you think that's extreme? Are you sure you're not just put out because you're too late making a move?"

"Nonsense! When you see this jerk, you'll understand why they just can't be together. She could do so much better than him!"

"Alright... If you say so."

"Excellent!" With that, Ishida, Gossip-Girl, and Nerd-Boy were ready. They just needed to find out where and when...

Back at the apartment, Ulquoirra was racking his brain trying to figure out what he could do to express his love for Orihime. If he was to truly show his feelings, he couldn't leave it until their... what did she call it? 'Date'? He couldn't leave it that long. He wanted to do something special now. No pressure on her, of course, but that butterfly conservatory in his tummy wasn't going anywhere so far, and he really needed a distraction.

What did humans like to do? This was a genuinely tough question for a creature that had begun it's long life devouring them without a concern for what they wanted... He gave it some thought. And then gave it some more. The humans he had witnessed up close were few. Then it hit him. The only human that really mattered was her. In his experience, what did she like to do?

She adored her friends. She liked to take naps. She liked to do 'homework'. She liked backrubs. She adored cooking and eating her creations. Hey, that's what he could do! He could cook dinner for her! But wait... How exactly was he going to cook and what?

Ulquiorra was beginning to feel frustrated, and began to feel more like starting a fight with someone than being in love. But that wasn't very loving of him, he would have to channel his frustration into her happiness. "I will convert my bad feelings into good feelings. Even if the good feelings are not my own."

He wandered into the room that she called a 'kitchen' and starting poking around in a strangely quiet manner. It wasn't like anyone was going to hear him or anything, he just felt that he needed to place the utmost care in this task. There was a notebook on the counter that was open to a page. Written neatly upon it was a list of ingredients and some instructions. He marked the page with his finger, and closed it to see the cover. 'Recipes' was written on the front. Good. She had already provided him with a list of things she liked.

He flipped through it carefully, finding it difficult to understand. 'Bean paste', 'flour', 'sugar', 'loituma'... "What the...? What are these things? Are there no souls in these recipes? I don't understand..." He realised he was talking to himself and stopped thinking aloud. He was going to have to look through the cupboards to find the matching ingredients. He settled on making something called 'sushi'.

Opening the cupboard, he peered inside, finding the rice and seaweed from the list before him. Right on. He placed them on the counter and began searching through her fridge for the other things. She hadn't been for groceries just yet, so there weren't any veggies or fish in there. He would have to use something else. The recipe indicated that creativity was welcome for the fillings, so he felt confident he could replace them with something else.

He found bean paste, leek, and flour. There was also so kind of syrup in the cupboard and that looked like an excellent way to ensure these things stuck together. He got the water boiling in a pot on the stove for the rice. The recipe asked for one cup of water to one cup of rice. When he looked for a cup, there were several, of different sizes. Confusion hit again. Which cup? He settled on two different sizes, hoping one would be right. He used the larger cup for the rice, and the smaller cup for the water. When he measured the rice, he discovered a small tear in the bag, so now there was at least two cups on the floor. No matter, he would clean that up after.

Now for the filling. He got a bowl out of the cupboard and dumped some of the powdery flour in there. Next, he added some water and syrup. He kind of mixed it together, until it became doughy. He found he could manipulate this, and had the brilliant idea to form it into a roll, flatten it and place a bean-paste filled leek in the center before rolling it over. Noticing this stuff looked like bread dough, he thought it may be wise to bake it. He made a few of them, the latter two looking the best, and popped them into the oven, sans baking sheet. It took a few moments before he realised they weren't cooking. He would have to turn the oven on...

"How does this work?" Servants within Hueco Mundo had always prepared any food eaten in Las Noches, and he had zero clue as to how he was supposed to work this thing. When he finally figured it out, he set it as high as it could go. The hotter it is, the faster it will cook.

He checked on the water, which had boiled down quite a bit. He sighed, grabbing the large cup this time, and adding a full cup of water to it, waiting for it to boil again. When it began to, he added the rice, turned off the burner, and let it soak in the hot water. By this time, something smelled burnt, and he checked the oven. His bread-bean-leek-rolls were finished, and he pulled them out, one by one, popping them on the counter. Who needs oven mitts, when you have Hiero?

He let those cool, feeling a little tinge of pride within that he had managed to cook something that at least looked like it was edible. He tried a tiny slice off the end of one. Terrible. Well... No... It wasn't so bad. Maybe the seaweed and rice would improve the taste in the end.

When he checked the rice, it still wasn't quite done. It was mushy in some places, crunchy in others when he stirred it, but not sticky like the recipe called for. "I've got it!" He grabbed the syrup and poured a bunch in, stirring it around until it was both watery and sticky. This wouldn't do. He used the lid to carefully strain the liquid into the sink, and then added more syrup. He touched it lightly with his pale finger; it was definitely sticky now.

Next, the seaweed. He lay the sheets flat on the counter and followed the directions, putting a thin sheet of sticky rice on top and spreading it out. There was a note to add spices at this point if desired. He looked through the cupboards and found several different bottles.

Italian. Cayenne Pepper. Oregano. Ginger. He settled on the idea that he would make each one different. He liked the way the oregano looked and smelled, the cayenne pepper was attractive, and Italian was a fun word. He spread a layer of each onto the rice, and then popped a leek-roll into the middle of each one. He rolled them up, struggling with the first and creating a tiny, sticky mess on the counter, but as always he got the hang of it quick. When he was finished, Ulquiorra had three lovely looking sushi rolls, and a very big mess to clean up in the kitchen.

He hurried to make sure that it was clean before she got home. He stuck the 'sushi' in the fridge to keep it cool, and then planted himself on the couch like a faithful pet waiting for its owner to get home.

Orihime and Tatsuki were just coming up to her building, both of them giggling and talking about the prospect of either having a boyfriend. Tatsuki was happy for her, but remained a little sceptical, knowing her friends judgement wasn't always the best. She decided she would come back to her place to meet this guy, since, oddly enough, he was already shacking up at her place...

"Do you think he plans on getting a job?"

"I... Well... He had one, but he kind of lost it because of me... It's a long story."

"Go on, I'm not in any hurry."

"Well... You'll see. I think you'll get a better idea when you meet him. I must warn you, you might be a little alarmed at first. But he's different now."

"What? It's not that dropout that we knew last year is it? Orihime... That guy isn't right for you... I know he's cute, but..."

"No! No... He's... Well... I don't think he's ever been to school. I'm not sure they go to school where he's from..." Orihime chuckled a bit.

Tatsuki was becoming any more convinced. "Really? No job, not in school, and you're already telling me I'm going to find him alarming."

"He is a little startling to look at I suppose. But he's sweet, I promise. He took care of me for the year that I was away."

"And he's someone you have Stockholm Syndrome for? Gods, Orihime, I really hope your head is screwed on straight still! Dating a guy who is all of these bad things, and he held you prisoner?"

"Well, he didn't. He just did the kidnapping..."

Tatsuki was ready to explode. Her mind was already blown. Was her friend really this head over heels for a guy that had no redeeming qualities already?

They took the stairs up to her apartment, and Orihime pulled out her key to unlock the door. When she walked in, she hollered to Ulquiorra, "I'm home! Come out and meet my friend!"

Tatsuki became apprehensive, hearing soft footsteps coming from the living room towards them. And what was that smell? It was as if Orihime had been home all day cooking or something. What she saw come around the corner was worse than she could have imagined. She recognized him alright. "You! YOU!" She was exasperated. "Orihime, seriously? You're not even dating a human!" She flailed her arms about frantically.

"It's okay, calm down." She looked over at him, seeing he had shrunk back behind the wall a bit, shoulders sloped. "Ulquiorra, it's fine. This is Tatsuki, she's just really overprotective of her friends. Tatsuki, this is Ulquiorra. He's the one taking me out tomorrow."

"Will anyone even be able to see him? You know it will look like you are on a date with yourself, right?"

"Well... I did think of that. But it's not like we have to go anywhere where we will be seen."

"This is Japan. There are people everywhere! Are you crazy? Wait a minute. Don't answer that! You're crazy!" She stared down the arrancar who slunk backwards a little bit more. "What is that terrible smell?" Her attention span shifted a bit.

"I think it smells great! Ulquiorra, did you cook something?"

He nodded, meeting Orihime's gaze in silence, then glancing nervously at Tatsuki, before staring at the floor.

"Aww that's sweet. What did you make?"

He wandered over to the fridge, and pulled out the sushi he had concocted. He placed it on the counter softly.

Her friend wasn't buying this whole act and got right up in his face. "Does it talk?"

He appeared the slightest bit startled and backed off a bit. She was in his bubble.

"Yes, he talks. You're scaring him. I think he requires tranquility before he will come out of his shell. Ulquiorra is a bit like a crab."

"Or a turtle. He seems a little slow."

"Tatsuki!" She kind of giggled as that comment had little relevance. "Aww. Look, see? You've made him sad."

"How can you tell? Are you sure that's not just painted on his face to invoke your sympathy? I think he's a typical hollow. He's gonna try and fatten you up with sushi only you will eat, and then devour us all."

"I don't eat humans." He mumbled. "Humans are not appetizing to a hollow of my level."

"It speaks!"

He glared at her, already feeling a strong disdain for Orihime's friend here. "Inoue, do you always keep the company of such insufferable fools?"

"Why, you-!"

"Ulquiorra! Tatsuki! Come on... I just want you guys to get along. Let's sit down and have a bite to eat, and maybe you guys will warm up to one another. Ulquiorra, I would like first for you to be a friend, and friends don't treat other friends friends the way you are right now. That goes for you too Tatsuki. Be nice to each other!" She smiled and grabbed both by the wrists and dragged them into the kitchen, forcing them to bump into each other.

Their eyes met with a glare. They would do their best to act amicable, if only for Orihime's sake. It really hadn't taken long for the two of them to decide they did NOT like each other. Tatsuki stuck her tongue out at him, jerking her head forward to startle him. It worked, as he looked surprised, confused, and then highly annoyed at the insult.

"Here, friends, have a seat." Ever-polite, the flame-haired beauty allowed her friends to pick their seats before taking her own.

Of course they sat as far from each other as possible.

Orihime stood suddenly, and chirped, "I'm going to go get a knife so we can cut it onto little rolls. Just a sec."

She swiftly moved to the drawer and grabbed a knife. The kitchen looked cleaner than usual. Had he been playing the maid? How sweet! She grabbed a cup and some water, as you can't cut sushi without a wet knife. She also grabbed three little plates. She took a seat and smiled at Ulquiorra. "This is so sweet of you. Thank you for also cleaning the kitchen."

He nodded, saying nothing.

"So are these all the same, or...?" She positioned the knife to cut one, but paused to ask her question.

"They're all the same, with a different spice."

"Oh, how exciting. What spices did you use."

He was silent, trying to recall. "It-all-i-an, oreegeno... and Kayeen pepper?" He had a little trouble with pronunciation, making her giggled.

"Sounds like you made some interesting choices. You don't know how to cook, do you?" Tatsuki raised an eyebrow.

"..." He looked down. "I never had to cook. There were servants for that in Las Noches, and before that... well... I kind of just ate things raw, you know?"

"I think he picked the best ones he could have. I think we have a similar culinary style."

"Oh brother..." Tatsuki became even more apprehensive.

When Orihime began slicing, the rolls made interesting noises. She served her friends with a smile. "Bon Appetit!"

"What?" Ulquoirra was confused.

"It's French. Enjoy your meal!"

"Haha, I don't know... Maybe Orihime will enjoy it, but I'm well sure that most people would be repulsed." As she finished, Ulquiorra shot her a glare.

The three of them looked at the... creative... sushi rolls on their plates. Orihime was the first to try one. When shit bit into it, there was a sickening crunch. She chewed thouroughly and swallowed. "Mmmm, I love cayenne pepper. The rice is crunchy in some parts, mushy in others, a perfect combo! I like that you incorporated my favourites- leek and bean paste. This is great! Thank you Ulquiorra!" She continued to eat them.

Tatsuki was finished after one bite. Ulquiorra picked away at his. They weren't that bad. But they weren't a masterpiece by any means either. After the three of them finished, Tatsuki had no comment, Ulquiorra was embarrassed, and Orihime was delighted that someone else shared her tastes.

"That was lovely. You should cook for me more often."

He nodded, meeting her gaze for a moment, then averting it to the ground. "Next time, I'll try to make it appetizing for everyone."

"Nonsense! Your job is to please ME, remember? You've done well."

Ulquiorra's face lit up, "Master... I... Thank you."

"Wow, it doesn't take much to please either of you, does it?"

Both face-faulted and shot Tatsuki a look. She shut up, and Orihime laughed at her.

"Now... What should we do? We could watch a movie... Or go to the mall..." Orihime began brainstorming out loud. The three of them needed something to do. "Or we could call up some friends and have a party!"

"I think you need a little more notice than that... Most people are already going to have plans on a Friday night, Inoue-chan." Tatsuki sighed at her friends impulsivity.

"Why don't we all go for a walk and think about it? A change of scenery might help." Ulquiorra had certainly done enough walking back in his Vasto Lorde days, but, if it would stop any unnecessary squabbling, he was down with that.

"That's a great idea Ulquiorra. Shoes on, everyone! We're going for a walk!"

The three of them got to the door, the girls slipped their shoes on, and he put his sandals on... over his socks.

"No." Tatsuki shook her head.

"What?" He looked to Inoue's friend with a tired expression. What now?

"You can't wear socks with sandals."

"Why not?"

"We don't do that in this century. One or the other."

"But..." Ulquiorra had a headache at this point. "I need to wear socks with these shoes, they will blister my feet... and no one is going to see me."

"He's got a point." Orihime nodded, trying to disperse the tension building between her two pals.

"No, no. I don't care if he's a ghost, or if he's your boyfriend, or both. He needs to be fashionable. No socks, or no sandals! You can't have both!"

"Fine." He discarded the sandals and kept the socks. "Petty witch." He mumbled.

"What was that?" She jumped up and gave the arrancar a punch on top of the noggin.

"Careful, Ulquiorra. She's a black belt. She'll knock you out."

"Ow. I see that. I removed the offending article. Can we go now?" He grumbled.

"Yes, yes. Let's go!" Orihime skipped out the door, and her friends followed. She was in such a hurry, that she forgot to lock the door.

Ishida took full advantage, waving Gossip-Girl and Nerd-Boy closer. The three snuck down the hall and into her apartment.

"We must station ourselves so we will not be seen upon their return. Gossip-Girl, head to the eastern closet! Nerd-Boy, you take to the West."

"Yes sir!" his underlings said in unison. They took off like rockets and hid in their respective closets.

"And I... Well... It's simple really. I will cut the bottom out from under the couch and we will eaves trough on them from there! With sources in every corner of the apartment, we will be sure to discover the location of their precious date. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk." He used one of them quincy daggers to cut out the bottom of the couch and then he crawled inside, waiting patiently for their return...

A/N: Phew! That was a long chapter! I tried to add in some humour this time. Ishida is doing a fair job of providing comic relief, no? And that Tatsuki... She's something else!

A real fireball! I promise, there will be more romance in the next chapter, when our dear couple has their first date! Review, I love feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

Two Hearts, One Love

_~Love is a feeling best felt by those who dare not to look for it, but instead give it to everyone freely. If you give nothing but love, how can you expect anything but in return?~_

Chapter 3

It was about 11:30pm or so when Ulquiorra and Orihime got back to her apartment. As they came up to her door, and she went to unlock it, she came to the realization that the door was unlocked.

"That's strange, I didn't lock it? Wow..." She turned the handle and they went inside.

"..." Ulquiorra felt the hair on the back of his neck stand. "I... sense someone... no... There's three people in your apartment. I can sense their Reiatsu. Stand back." He went into the living room where the couch was right in front of them and kicked it over, exposing Uryu with one of them quincy daggers in his hand still.

Uryu was shocked, but quickly regained composure. He leapt up from the underside of the couch and into the air. "This is be the end of you, Hollow!" He whipped his quincy dagger at Ulquiorra's face, and then called upon his magic energy bow and shot at him.

Ulquiorra just stood there, looked over his shoulder at Orihime, and took the full force of the blow. He wouldn't move, he wouldn't let it get her. Then when his vision was clear from smoke, he looked up just in time to see Ishida coming at him with a fist. He grabbed his fist, pulled him in close and brought his knee up into Uryu's stomach, _very hard_, knocking the wind out of him. As he coughed like a disgraceful stoner, Ulquiorra motioned with his head to Orihime to open the front door.

She was a little stunned by the whole thing and almost unconsciously complied. She opened the door and Ulquiorra tossed him out into the hall, with Ishida decorating the wall for a moment before hitting the ground with a crack. His subordinates, Gossip-Girl and Nerd-Boy came out with their hands up, ski masks on to hide their identities. Ulquiorra only watched these ones go by, because he knows where to draw the line.

Orihime shut the door quietly and Ulquiorra put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry that you had to witness that... I do not wish to act so brutally before you."

"..." She swallowed hard, astonished and a little afraid. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

There it was again. She was asking him to reassure her. To comfort her. He wanted to say something nasty about Ishida, but instead, he knew what he had to do. What she wanted. What he wanted...

"He'll be fine. I'm certain I've done nothing more than make him very sore for a few days. I did what I had to do, to protect you."

"Ulquiorra... I appreciate that you want me to be safe... But you attacked my friend." Orihime was clearly shaken. "I'm not sure we should go on a date after all... I mean... I'm just not sure of your intentions or capabilities just yet."

He refused to beg for it back and remained calm. "Inoue... I would never turn you on... But if I must turn on your friends because they have turned on you, I will."

"Then... You can't stay here anymore... Ulquiorra, my friends always come first. The longer this goes on, the more I can't help but think you're just trying to manipulate me."

"What? I-."

"Leave..." She said softly, looking to the floor. "Please... Leave."

"..." He bowed his head once in affirmation, and walked out the door that she had opened and past Ishida. He did what he was told.

Orihime dropped to her friend's side in the hallway. "Uryu! Uryu-kun!" She called upon the Shun Shun Rikka to heal his wounds, using the holy light to levitate him to her bedroom. She pulled the covers back and let her hair pins set him in before she tucked the blankets over him. "You'll be okay Uryu, you rest here." She zipped out of the room, turning the lights out and shutting the door behind her.

It took her a couple of tries to flip the couch over that Ulquiorra had kicked and tidied up sadly. Why did he have to take it so far? They could have talked, but Ulquiorra had become as violent as he had that day he had fought Ichigo.

"Ulquiorra..." She shed a tear, and laid down on the couch, taking several hours to fall asleep, because she was worried about him. And Ishida.

Back in Orihime's room, Ishida's glasses flickered in the dark.

Ulquiorra was feeling a mix of emotions. He was extremely angry at Ishida of course, and crushed that he'd just lost his chance.

Wait... Maybe he could make it up to her...? But how? He had definitely crossed the line, if only a little, by beating her friend like that. He had given her a back rub. He had cooked for her. Now what?

Suddenly a bright light flashed in the night sky. A falling star fell towards him, but as it drew closer, he realised it was space debris, but... a chipmunk? The chipmunk landed on his face and ran up on to his horn, looking around as if atop a tall ship's mast.

"Listen, bub. The name is Kubo-kun. I'm a real ladies chip. If you want to know how to get with that spaceball, you're gonna have to listen to me!" He crawled down his face and right above his left eye, reaching in and yanking it out.

"What?" Ulquiorra reached up to his face to stop him but he was too slow.

"Let's see..." He pitched the eye on the ground, and pulled on Ulquiorra's hat, making him stumble and step on the eyeball.

The dust swirled about them and showed Kubo-kun everything that had happened. "Wow, you're a real donkey. A total turkey. This one is gonna be tough."

"You aren't going to start singing are you?" The arrancar had a horrifying flashback to that animated children's flick Orihime had forced him to watch earlier in the week.

"I might, if you don't do as I say. So you better do as I say, essay."

"Right."

The chipmunk began to sing anyway. "I can see what's happening."

"What?" Ulquiorra chose not to sing. That just wasn't his style.

"And you don't have a clue."

"Boo." He grew more grumpy with each note.

"You've fallen in love, but with your attitude..." Kubo-kun leaned in toward his ear, "...she's a girl you'll never do."

"...Oh."

"You kneed her friend in the stomach. You threw him through the air. And with all of this violent behaviour... Disaster's in the airrrrrr!"

"That's enough, thanks."

"CAN YOU FEEL. THE LOVE. TONIGHT- Oh yeah. You can't 'cause you acted a total fool. Shame on you man! You gotta make it up to her. The only way..."

Ulquiorra was interested now that he had stopped singing. He leaned in, eager to hear to chipmunks advice.

"...is to buy her a ring, and get down on one knee."

"You mean..."

"Yes. You gotta ask that girl to marry you."

Ulquiorra's eyes went wide, as he had already grown a new left one. The ultimate form of commitment. Marriage...

He woke up in a cold sweat on a park bench. He had nothing but mere newspapers for a blanket, and the bench made him feel as if he were a ninety year old, arthritic dog.

What a strange dream that had been. A chipmunk? He wasn't even sure what that was. And marriage? He'd messed up before the first date, she wasn't going to MARRY him now.

The chipmunks voice echoed through his brain, "...take your chances with love." He put it down to hypnogogia.

But still, he was convinced by that for some reason. Ulquiorra got up off the bench, threw the newspapers in the recycling bin, and set out to find that ring.

A/N: Hahaha, did any of you get that? Kubo-kun, just like Tite Kubo who made Bleach! I thought I would pay him homage in some way, since I've been writing about his characters. I just love chipmunks, they're so cute. I just saw one outside today, so that was the form I picked. I like to incorporate everyday life into my stories when I can.

This was kind of the sad chapter, but you're gonna get some resolve next time. Review, and make sure to tune in next time. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Two Hearts, One Love

_~Love can be painful. A wound to the heart, in metaphor, runs far deeper and kills more slowly than a wound to that which we consider 'real'.~_

Chapter 4

Ulquiorra had no idea where to start looking for a 'ring'. What kind of ring, even? He could spot a thousand different things in this human world that would qualify as a 'ring' in his books, but none of them seems good enough for his intended purpose.

"If I am to coerce her into marriage with me, I must present her with a ring that cannot be refused. A ring unlike any other ring ever known to her kind."

He thought long and hard, before realizing he was stopped dead in a crosswalk. He turned to his left, startled a little as a car quickly sailed right through him. What an unnerving experience, even though he was unharmed. He slumped his shoulders a bit and carried on down the sidewalk.

Little did he know, he was being watched, and it wasn't a friendly force, nor a dream.

Out from a back alleyway, a bearded, dirty man emerged. He grinned a relatively toothless grin at Ulquiorra, revealing a massive hole in his one front tooth.

The arrancar looked on at his crooked, grimy teeth for a moment, before meeting a dissociated, yet eerily aware gaze. "A Hollow? I have never before witness a hollow hole that small..."

"That's a cavity, lad. I need a root canal, yarrr, but you try and get a root canal in todays economy. I ask em te rip me tooth out, but they told me it was cheaper to just let it fall. Eh heh hehe!" He cackled a suspiciously greasy laugh.

Ulquiorra was silent.

"What's that look fer? Aren't ye surprised in the slightest that I can see yar?"

"That fact sort of pales in comparison to what just came out of your mouth..."

"Look lad. If it's a ring ye want, I know where ye can find it."

"How did you know I was looking for a ring?"

The grifter rolled his eyes, and shook his head. "Ya kids these days, thinkin' ye be thinkin' in yer head when yer talkin' to yerself alood! You were walkin' down the street, practically groanin' yer dilemma like a damned old ghost!"

"I'm not sure that's how it really went down."

"Aye, it was an exaggeration. Are ya interested or not?"

"If you get to the point within the next sentence, I might listen long enough for you to finish."

"Well, if ye give me five bucks fer the liquor sto- I mean, the bus! I might clue ye in..."

Ulquiorra began to walk away. He ignored the drunken grifters' rambling, until he felt an empty beer bottle smash into the back of his mask.

"Ye bloody drunk!" the old man cried.

It was on. Ulquiorra turned on his heel and activated his Sonido ability, reaching the man in two steps and sticking his hand straight through his chest. "I was interested in what you had to say. But you have proven that you are nothing more than trash by withholding from me the only valuble information you were capable of providing. Pity." The old man slid from the arrancars pale arm, and onto the cold, hard ground. Beneath his feet, Ulquiorra felt the subway rattle the pavement. He blasted a hole through the concrete into the tunnels below, and kicked the body into the darkness with the side of his cold foot.

He gave a quick eye swivel from left-to-right, and walked on down the sidewalk like the whole encounter had never happened.

It wasn't long before he grew tired of his search. He spent three or four hours wandering around, finding nothing worthy of his love. No sooner had he taken a seat on a park bench than had a family come along and, of course, their little girl could see him.

"Mommy, I don't like that clown." She pointed to him, looking put out. Of course the parents could not see him.

"Honey, there is no clown. You're imagining things."

"No, mommy, right there behind daddy on the bench. There's a scary clown. He's looking right at me. He's giving me an awfully nasty look right now, mommy."

The mother sighed, and the father laughed. "Honey, find something else to do. Mommy and Daddy are busy..."

The little girl stared at Ulquiorra for a long time. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How incredibly expressive of you, little girl. I want to rip it right out of your mouth." He snarled.

"You can't! Daddy will beat you up!"

"I wouldn't want to touch it, you humans are full of all kinds of filth." Ulquiorra took a quick look at the mother's hand and noticed a very lovely diamond and emerald ring, in a spectacular gold setting. "Any chance you could get your mother to let us play with her pretty ring there? I promise I won't lay a finger on your tongue."

"That's not gonna cut it. I'm going to require something else from you."

"Little girl, you need not worry about your tongue, I will leave it attached. But I will pluck from you your sight, and I will place your eyeballs in two brand new sockets, hand carved into your stomach if you do not get me that ring."

"Yikes." She looked fearful. "That's a run-on threat!"

Her mother looked to her. "What are you babbling about?"

"Nothing. Mommy, can I see your pretty ring? I won't drop it."

"If you'll just be quiet..." She took the ring from her finger with a twist and held it out to her daughter. "Here. It's very important to mummy. The foundation of my marriage rests on it."

Ulquiorra felt almost hopeful. "If it keeps them together, Orihime will love me forever." Ever the poet, he mused inside. "If it rhymes it must be true."

The little girl ran to him and practically threw it at him, not wanted to suffer torture.

"Thank you. You have done well. You have my approval as someone interesting, who is not trash."

He rose from the bench and began to walk away. Just then, the mother demanded the ring back.

"Where is it? Oh, you brat, you dropped it!" She slapped the little girl.

"Ouch, mommy! No!" She was slapped repeatedly.

"Dan, on the ground! Look for it! And you... When we get home, you're in so much trouble. I'll give you a reason to say ouch."

Ulquiorra couldn't listen to anymore. He made himself visible by concentrating his reiatsu. "You will do no such thing. The ring is mine now, and you are going to die for your foolishness."

"What the? There really IS a scary clown!" The father looked up from his dirt search to see him.

The arrancar looks at the dad coldly, and walks over to him so that the toe of his shoe touched the mans knee. He was met with a terrified gaze as he brought his foot up.

"Not my back! My back is terrib- AHHHGHH!"

The diminuitive arrancar knocked him flat with his foot coming down like a piston on the guys spine. He coughed hard as the evil bat clown stepped his other foot gently on the back of his neck. Shifting it around a bit, as if he were looking for the ideal point, he then brought it down once more, breaking his neck and killing him rather quickly.

The mother and little girl looked on in horror. Ulquiorra turned to the mother. "You are meant to protect your child, but you can do no such thing. You are trash, and this child is now my property. I know a woman who is much more capable of being her mother."

"No! Mommy!" The girl cried.

"You brat! This is all your fault. If I weren't seriously being murdered by a clown I would kill you!"

"This is the end." In a blink, he was behind the woman, reaching around her front and pulling her head swiftly to the side.

The girl was crushed. Left with no love from her now dead parents, she became a dissociated, snivelling mess.

But Ulquiorra Schiffer had put a stop to child abuse that day, if only in a small way.

With his ring in hand and a traumatized toddler in tow, Ulquiorra headed across town to Orihime's place. He felt pride within himself. He knew he had made up for everything he had done, he was a changed man. Seeing fear in the eyes of a child made him realize how scary it was when your parents get angry and you have no one but a murderer to cry out for help to.

He opened a Garganta, and took hold of the child. In a few moments, they emerged in Orihime's living room. It was the middle of the night and she was in bed. He didn't sense anyone else there. He lay the child on the couch with a blanket to sleep for the night, and then headed to her bedroom.

The door was closed. Strange... She had always slept with it open. Ulquiorra walked in, and found that there was no one inside. In the bed, was an inflatable woman with a note, scribbled in ancient Quincy ink on the wall.

'Orihime is with me now; where she belongs. You will never find me, and you will never be able to hurt her again. If you come for her, you will have to get through all of my traps and then me.'

"Well at least I know there are going to be traps. At the Arrancar Academy I attended, I learned that there are only 5 types of Quincy traps, so if I keep mindful of my surroundings, I should be able to determine what traps lay about..."

He closed his eyes and focused on the energy within Karakura Town. It took but a moment for him to pick out her energy and then the Quincy's mark. He opened his emerald eyes, but they remained narrow with fury. He would find this man, and continue his current killing spree. He had never liked to be so violent, but this world seemed like it was out to get him so far. Or at the very least, it was trying to prevent him from becoming one with his love.

He tore open a Garganta and ended up at the place where Orihime was held. Rather, he was out front of a large mansion, decorated with Quincy decor and symbolism. He growled softly; this would be a chore. " You will die, Quincy."

The pale arrancar came up to the garden walkway. Many of the stones were missing, and the surrounding soil appeared soft and easy to manipulate. He knew from his prior research that this was an ideal place for a Quincy ditch trap, and avoided the ground in between stones. Apparently, the quincy was lazy, because there were no more traps leading to the front door, and Uryu answered it without him having to knock or break the door down. He wasn't even entirely sure the other man had gone to the length of digging the holes.

"Arrancar... You have come to claim her. But you will never have her. You should have kept your guard up, because the trap was me and my hospitality!"

Ulquiorra appeared unimpressed as Uryu did his best Bruce Lee, nearly breaking his fist on the industrial-steel strength hiero of Ulquiorra's chest. Then he tried to land an elbow on Ulquiorra's face. It wasn't happening. The arrancar stopped his elbow with one hand and then pushed up in one swift movement, dislocating and finally breaking his arm.

Ishida cried out in pain, and received a hard blow to his forehead, with just the bottom of Ulquiorra's pale knuckles meeting with the bridge of his glasses. They broke, and Uryu dropped like a sack of potatoes. The arrancar wasn't finished. He walked up to his opponent and gas-pedaled him hard in the crotch, before bringing his heel down violently on his stomach. As the nerd coughed, he pointed a pale finger at him. "Adios." A small green laser shot at the ground below, and he moved his hand up in a motion that allowed it to slice clear through Ishida's body. Smoke rose from the wound. Ishida was finished.

Orihime watched from a window high in the mansion. She broke the window with a chair, and hollered to him below. "Ulquiorra! You came for me! I knew you would come. Ishida was band news, he kidnapped me and locked me up here after I kicked him below the belt. He took out the stairs and now I can't get down. Ohh, Ulquiorra, what am I gonna do?" She looked around frantically.

"Jump." He suggested in earnest.

"Very funny. Can you come up here and get me down?"

"Of course. Anything for you my sweet... Orihime..." he murmered softly.

So, he released his Zanpakto, since this was a more worthy cause to release than a battle with some twit trashball. Ulquiorra took off and flew to her, embracing her snugly as he landed. "I've missed you, Inoue... Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already have Ulquiorra... I..." She looked up into his eyes and smiled brightly, tears forming in her eyes. They were tears of joy. "I love you..."

His eyes widened just a sliver, but then returned to normal, his pupils growing large and a warm feeling coming over her cheeks. "Orihime... I love you, too."

Ulquiorra and Orihime stood there for several moments, just enjoying each other's embrace. Then, he lifted her up into his arms, pulling her to his chest and planting a kiss on her forehead. Nuzzling her hair, he planted a second, much softer kiss, before turning his attention to flight and taking off.

Ulquiorra opened a Garganta in a convenient spot right outside one of her apartment windows. As the two of them emerged inside, Orihime stumbled a bit on the carpet, falling and pulling an off-guard Ulquiorra to the floor with her. He twisted himself so as to land next to her and not on top, his wings folding up and back to avoid hitting her. They looked into each others' eyes for a moment, and then Orihime began to giggle at her folly.

"I'm so clumsy. Ulquiorra, I always fall. You must hate that, since you're so graceful."

"Well, I'm not exactly there to catch you when you fall, so I'm no better..."

"I don't think there's anyone who can stop me, I'm a natural disaster. You can't catch an avalanche." She jokingly self-deprecated.

"...I would certainly try..."

"You're so cute how you take everything so seriously. I could never be like that. I'm always running and hiding from the truth, living in my own world. Always focusing on the happiness and hope that small world brings to me. You know how to handle yourself and see the world for what it really is. I wish I could see things the way you do Ulquiorra."

He was silent for a moment. "I feel the same way. I do not understand how you find hope at all in your kind. How you can feel love for so many people, when so few are worth anything? I live in my own world, seeing everything as nothing at all. I'm empty. I simply discard everything as entirely meaningless, and that helps at least to cope with the real world I run and hide from. I'm as frightened, Orihime, as you are."

"It's hard to see that. You don't show any fear. You don't show much of anything."

"And it's hard to maintain that... At any given time, I do not understand what I am feeling. These chemical changes and sensations in my body are simply uncomfortable. They drive me to frustration. If I didn't simply hold it within, I would kill compulsively." He said with that same soulless, shark-eyed expression as always.

Orihime swallowed in discomfort. He was so blunt at times, she wasn't sure whether she should feel threatened by his stability or appreciative of his honesty. "Do you want to kill me?"

"The urge to kill is the first thing I feel upon encountering another being. As I implied, before I reigned control over my emotions, I would kill compulsively. Don't forget, that I was once a mindless beast that cannibalized the souls of its own kind. I am a creature before I am a man, Orihime. But, what would make you believe that a man is not also a creature? Do not fear me for this fact, but be aware of it."

"Alright, I will, Ulquiorra." This conversation wasn't going in any sort of positive direction, so she decided she would change the subject. "So... are you going to come live with me, now? You don't have to stay... Just, you know... You can live here until you get a place of your own." She looked to him then looked away shyly.

"A place of my own..." He thought about that for a moment, but his brain only concluded that there was no place for him in this world, accept at her side. "I will stay with you, for now. I will not be a burden."

"Awww, I wasn't worried about that. I just want you to have a warm, cozy place to be."

"Thank you." He changed back into his regular form, and gave a stretch. Then, he headed over to the couch and sat down, drawing his legs up onto it and laying down slowly. "I'm rather tired, for once. Good night, Orihime."

"Good night, Ulquiorra." She was feeling pretty exhausted after her kidnapping adventure that day. Orihime headed to her bedroom, disrobed, and crawled into bed for the night. Sleep was quick to come over her.

But not so quick for our buddy Ulquiorra, who was tossing and turning on that damn couch. Ever since that Uryu had cut the bottom out, it hadn't been as comfortable. The arrancar tried every position he could get himself into, until he felt that he was crossing into catatonic territory. Then, he got onto his hands and knees and began pushing firmly on the cushions, much like a needing cat trying to soften his nest. It wasn't working, and, short of destroying the couch, he had tried everything.

With a sigh, he got to his feet. It appeared he wouldn't be sleeping that night. He spend the better part of two hours going between simply pacing quietly, and looking out the window. Then, he decided he would check on Orihime. Ulquiorra headed over to her room and gently set one of his marble coloured hands on the door handle. Quietly, ever so quietly, he opened it, not so much as allowing the spring to engage as he turned it back to its original position, leaving it open just a crack after he stepped inside.

The moon did well to illuminate her nude, sleeping form, though her blanket covered her lower half and preserved most of her modesty. Ulquiorra stared for a moment, before walking quietly to her bedside, staring from another point of view. He wondered to himself just what he was doing right now, knowing full well if she awoke she would think him lewd. He just wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn't want to wake her.

With soft foot falls he walked from the side of her bed, to the end, where there seemed to be plenty of room near her feet. Feeling very tired, he sat himself on the edge of the bed for a moment, before he curled up his head touching her covered legs ever so gently. He gave them a nuzzle, and a soft kiss, before he let sleep take him over as well.

_A/N: Well, that's another chapter, hope you enjoyed it. I'm hoping to fit more humour into the next because this one was pretty dark and violent. I'm not much for violence, but Ulquiorra is a hollow after all! And of course there will be more romance in the next chapter, since this tale is predominantly UlquiHime. I've got some ideas in mind as to where this story is headed, but as always I am open to suggestion. Review, please! Let me know what you think, even if you don't think it's nice. If you don't have anything nice to say, I still want to hear it as I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and disagree with almost all censorship. Oh and let me know what format you like best to read. I find the other to be harder to read, but I'm still not sure how to make it easier. Again, open to suggestions!_


	5. Chapter 5

Dos Korkoros, Won Ruv

~Love; inside and out. Two become one; the heart is born.~

Ulquiorra and Orihime got up the next day, and all was well. The sun was shining, the birds were singing their sweet song, and a gentle breeze was coming through the window, saving them money on air conditioning.

They sat up in bed and stared at each other for a long time. Staring was one of Ulquiorra's favourite pastimes, Orihime had noticed. He did spend a lot of time staring at her. Back in Las Noches, whenever she would catch him, he'd always dodge her gaze and give her that awkward side-eye thing he always did. It was like the only 'expression' he had ever made, if you could call it one, but it was a frequent one. It was the expression of a busted lecher. Well, he was a dude after all. If not, she wasn't sure she could move far enough away to escape the embarrassment. She'd have to go to Mars to get away! And then she would have to build herself an oxygenated dome full of fruit trees and beans for making bean paste. Oh! And there would be...

Oh yeah. Anyway, Ulquiorra liked to stare. He knew it was rude, but it wasn't like all he did was stare at Orihime. Like any good man he did admired the female form in all its splendid incarnations. But he also liked to stare at men, mainly for confrontational purposes. Also, he had issues keeping his attention away from the walls in Las Noches. That was a nice wall design, it really spoke to that boring emptiness within him. If he had a house someday, he was going to have walls like that, just probably not that high. Maybe in mauve...

As the story develops ADD, the two of them shared a kiss. She leaned against him, snuggling her head into his chest. It was bare, of course, I'm not gonna cheap out on you all. She snuggled her head into his bare chest and let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her, nestling his ebony lips against her soft, ginger locks.

Both were content to lay there in a blissful eternity. A borderline sociopath man with absolutely no heart who compulsively gives the fist of death when he can't find a use for someone, and a sweet, virginal maiden who would give someone her whole heart for whatever use they need. When you read it like that, it sounds terrible; it kind of is.

But they had surpassed that. It was their decision to make, to be together. And they were going to make it. They were gonna last.

"Orihime..." He drew a slow breath, "This is where I want to be, where I belong... with you... And you... You, with me. Promise me that you will always remain with me... I will never leave your side, if you allow me to be here with you."

"Oh Ulquiorra..." It was the stuff of dreams, or at the very least, a bad romance fanfiction. "I will always be with you."

"Orihime..." He stood, moving away from the bed. He took a few steps away from her, and then turned to face her. Dropping to one knee, he pulled out that ring he punked from that little girl, and held it out before her. "Marry me, Orihime Inoue."

She was beside herself. At first her expression lit up like the sun, but then, like rain, tears of joy followed. "Oh... Ulquiorra! Yes! Yes, of course, I will... I mean... I do!"

He smiled for, like, the first time ever. As she got out of bed, he rose, taking in his hand one of her own, and placing the ring on a random finger. Hey, you should give him credit for knowing this much! Like the fourth espada would know anything about where to place it or on what hand, sheesh...

She smiled, taking in its beauty. The emerald... just like his eyes... and the white of the diamonds... Just like his skin. She sighed, then grew excited, nearly bowling him over with a hug that was more a glomp than anything. "I love you!"

"I love you too. More than I've ever loved anything."

"Ulquiorra... I'm so happy."

The two of them embraced, but then a dark reality hit him.

"Oh. I almost forgot. I brought a little girl here the other day. She doesn't have any parents. But she doesn't appear to be here now..." Ulquiorra broke away from the embrace and headed from room to room, which took all of thirty seconds in the small apartment. He returned to the bedroom with a serious look on his face. "We will have to put the wedding on hold until we find her..."

Orihime looked a little disappointed, but it wasn't like they were gonna pull it Vegas style tonight or anything. She gained a hopeful look about her and nodded in agreement. "It's the right thing to do. And when we find that little orphan girl, we'll give her the family she's always dreamed of."

Ulquiorra wasn't sure if that statement made him feel ill or good inside. It was an odd feeling, but he realised if he dwelled on it any longer, he would hurl from the sickly sweetness. He preferred to view everything except Orihime as meaningless.

Well, it didn't take long for Ulquiorra to track down her reiatsu. The little girl was being held hostage inside Urahara's shop in the basement. It turned out, that all the trauma Ulquiorra had caused actually partially hollow-fied her, and now she was some crazy human-hollow-arrancar hybrid that had a tendency to try and eat humans. Go figure.

Urahara shook his head as the two entered the building. "You've made quite the mess here, Mr. Espada. This girl is so traumatized by your actions that she has been partially hollowfied. Of course, I found this to be an intriguing case, and so I just had to have a closer look..."

"I don't care for your chatter, Shinigami. Hand over that child. She is mine." He demanded, showing no humour at all in his expressionless green eyes.

"Relax, I'll give you back your little monster. But I would like to study her further. I would appreciate it if you two would spend the next couple of days here. Make yourselves at home."

Nope. Ulquiorra didn't trust this guy. Aizen had told him all about this one. Even though Aizen was a loser in his mind now, Urahara was a bigger loser. Well, maybe not since he made that Hogyoku thing, and that gave him the ability to interbreed with Orihime's species... Yeah, maybe he wasn't so bad. Ulquiorra trusted this guy already.

"I see you have rethunk your previous stance. Wonderful. I will have my Vizard slave labourers ready you a room."

Both Orihime and Ulquiorra looked a little sheepish, noting he was placing them together. It was going to be a little awkward sharing a bed this soon. They had shared a bed at the beginning of the chapter, but this was different. This time people knew they were sharing a bed. It was a little scandalous.

"What's the matter? Are you guys not at that point in your relationship yet? I vote you make the arrancar sleep on the floor. He seems to be a real gentlemen, so I'm sure he'd be more than willing to sleep on a cold, hard floor." Urahara was pushing every button as always.

"It's okay. We're just sharing a bed to sleep. No big deal. Come on, Ulquiorra, let's go for a walk while Mr. Urahara does his thing with that girl." Orihime took his hand and they headed out the door for a nice walk.

"I love you Ulquiorra. I can't wait to start a family."

"I love you too. I look forward to raising young ones who are not trash."

A/N: Not much to say here. The next chapter is going to throw a real curveball, so be prepared. The silliness and light-heartedness comes to an end, and this story assumes it's true tone.


End file.
